Indian indenture ships to Fiji
Encyclopedia
Between 1879 and 1916, a total of 42 ships made 87 voyages, carrying India
n indenture
d labourers to Fiji
. Initially the ships brought labourers from Calcutta, but from 1903 all ships except two also brought labourers from Madras. A total of 60,965 passengers left India but only 60,553 (including births at sea) arrived in Fiji. A total of 45,439 boarded ships in Calcutta and 15,114 in Madras. Sailing ship
s took, on average, seventy-three days for the trip while steamers took 30 days. The shipping companies associated with the labour trade were Nourse Line
and British-India Steam Navigation Company
.
The most important man on these ships was the Surgeon-Superintendent
, who supervised the medical care, ventilation, clothing, cleanliness and exercise of the passengers and his authority extended over the Captain
. He inspected the stores before departure and reported on any defects during the trip. The Surgeon-Superintendent also intervened to prevent passengers from being mistreated by the crew. He was paid a bonus for each labourer landed alive.
Repatriation of indentured Indians from Fiji
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n indenture
Indenture
An indenture is a legal contract reflecting a debt or purchase obligation, specifically referring to two types of practices: in historical usage, an indentured servant status, and in modern usage, an instrument used for commercial debt or real estate transaction.-Historical usage:An indenture is a...
d labourers to Fiji
Fiji
Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
. Initially the ships brought labourers from Calcutta, but from 1903 all ships except two also brought labourers from Madras. A total of 60,965 passengers left India but only 60,553 (including births at sea) arrived in Fiji. A total of 45,439 boarded ships in Calcutta and 15,114 in Madras. Sailing ship
Sailing ship
The term sailing ship is now used to refer to any large wind-powered vessel. In technical terms, a ship was a sailing vessel with a specific rig of at least three masts, square rigged on all of them, making the sailing adjective redundant. In popular usage "ship" became associated with all large...
s took, on average, seventy-three days for the trip while steamers took 30 days. The shipping companies associated with the labour trade were Nourse Line
Nourse Line
The Nourse Line was a shipping company formed by Captain James Nourse in 1861. After taking delivery of his first ship, the Ganges, in 1861, Nourse went on to build up one of the last great fleets of sailing ships.- Early life of James Nourse:...
and British-India Steam Navigation Company
British-India Steam Navigation Company
British India Steam Navigation Company was formed in 1856 as the Calcutta and Burmah Steam Navigation Company. The company had been formed out of Mackinnon, Mackenzie & Co, a trading partnership of the Scots William Mackinnon and Robert Mackenzie, to carry mail between Calcutta and Rangoon. It...
.
The most important man on these ships was the Surgeon-Superintendent
Surgeon-superintendent
A surgeon-superintendent was the official on board a convict transport ship and ships transporting indentured labour, with overall authority in all non-nautical matters....
, who supervised the medical care, ventilation, clothing, cleanliness and exercise of the passengers and his authority extended over the Captain
Captain (nautical)
A sea captain is a licensed mariner in ultimate command of the vessel. The captain is responsible for its safe and efficient operation, including cargo operations, navigation, crew management and ensuring that the vessel complies with local and international laws, as well as company and flag...
. He inspected the stores before departure and reported on any defects during the trip. The Surgeon-Superintendent also intervened to prevent passengers from being mistreated by the crew. He was paid a bonus for each labourer landed alive.
List of ships
The table below provides details of the 87 voyages made by the 40 ships that brought Indian Indentured Labourers to Fiji. Of these ships, 27 were sailing ships and 13 were steam ships.| Name of Ship | Date of Arrival | Registered Numbers | Number of Arrivals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leonidas Leonidas (ship) The Leonidas was a labour transport ship that played an important role in the history of Fiji. She had been earlier used to carry indentured labourers to the West Indies, having transported 580 Indian indentured labourers to St Lucia in 1878... |
1–463 | 463 | |
| Berar Berar (ship) The Berar, named after a region in western India, was a sailing ship of 902 tons, owned by Tyser & Haviside and was built in 1863 by William Pile at Sunderland.- Trips to New Zealand :... |
464–887 | 424 | |
| Poonah Poonah (ship) The Poonah, named after the city of Poonah in western India, was a three masted sailing ship of 1199 tons, owned by Tyser & Haviside and was built in 1867 by William Pile at Sunderland.- Trips to West Indies :... |
888–1364 | 477 | |
| Poonah Poonah (ship) The Poonah, named after the city of Poonah in western India, was a three masted sailing ship of 1199 tons, owned by Tyser & Haviside and was built in 1867 by William Pile at Sunderland.- Trips to West Indies :... |
1365–1860 | 496 | |
| Bayard Bayard (ship) The Bayard was a three masted, 67 metre long, 1,028 ton, sailing ship built by T. Vernon and Son, Liverpool for the Hall Line in 1864. In 1868 she was transferred to Sun Shipping Company and in 1881 sold to Foley and Company.... |
1861–2354 | 494 | |
| Syria | 2355–2792 | 438 | |
| Howrah Howrah (ship) The Howrah was an iron hulled sailing ship of 1,098 tons, built at Sunderland in 1864 by . She arrived in Fiji on 26 June, 1884 carrying 575 passengers.The Howrah was chartered for three voyages from England to New Zealand... |
2793–3287 | 495 | |
| Pericles Pericles (ship) The Pericles, named after the Athenian leader Pericles, was a 1,598 ton, iron hulled, three masted sailing ship, that was built by W. Hood & Co of Aberdeen, and launched in July 1877 to transport wool for the Aberdeen Line.- Trips to Australia :... |
3288–3748 | 461 | |
| 3749–4323 | 575 | ||
| Main | 4324–5048 | 725 | |
| Ganges | 5049–5571 | 523 | |
| Boyne Boyne (ship) The Boyne was a 1,403 ton, Nourse Line sailing ship built by T.R. Oswald of Southampton in 1877. It was referred to as the "Hoodoo Ship" for the number of mishaps that occurred to it.-Voyages on the "hoodoo ship":... |
5572–6108 | 537 | |
| Bruce | 6109–6566 | 458 | |
| Hereford Hereford (ship) The Hereford was a 1456 ton iron sailing ship with two decks and one cemented bulkhead which was built in 1869 by J. Elder & Company at Glasgow for the Merchant Shipping Company of London. She was chartered by the New Zealand Shipping Company in the 1870s and made three voyages to Lyttelton, New... |
6567–7105 | 539 | |
| Moy | 7106–7782 | 677 | |
| Rhone Rhone (ship) The Rhone, formerly known as Gilroy, was a 1,768 ton, iron sailing ship with a length of 259.2 feet, breadth of 39.9 feet and depth of 23.2 feet.- History :... |
7783–8367 | 585 | |
| Allan Shaw | 8368–8940 | 573 | |
| Danube Danube (ship) The Danube, a 1,459 ton sailing ship named after the second longest river in Europe, was built in 1890 for the Nourse Line.On 15 June 1891 she made a voyage to Fiji carrying 591 Indian indentured labourers. She also made a trip to Trinidad, arriving on 1 January 1892, carrying 609 passengers.... |
8941–9531 | 591 | |
| Jumna | 9532–9978 | 447 | |
| British Peer British Peer (ship) - External links :***- Bibliography :... |
9979–10505 | 527 | |
| Avon | 10506–11025 | 520 | |
| Hereford Hereford (ship) The Hereford was a 1456 ton iron sailing ship with two decks and one cemented bulkhead which was built in 1869 by J. Elder & Company at Glasgow for the Merchant Shipping Company of London. She was chartered by the New Zealand Shipping Company in the 1870s and made three voyages to Lyttelton, New... |
11026–11504 | 479 | |
| Moy | 11505–11971 | 467 | |
| Jumna | 11972–12281 | 310 | |
| Ems Ems (ship) The Ems was a 1,829 ton, iron sailing ship with a length of , breadth of and depth of . She was built by Charles Connell & Company, Glasgow for the Nourse Line, and named after the Ems River in north west Germany, and launched on 6 April 1893. She was primarily used for the transportation of... |
12282–12851 | 570 | |
| Hereford Hereford (ship) The Hereford was a 1456 ton iron sailing ship with two decks and one cemented bulkhead which was built in 1869 by J. Elder & Company at Glasgow for the Merchant Shipping Company of London. She was chartered by the New Zealand Shipping Company in the 1870s and made three voyages to Lyttelton, New... |
12852–13362 | 511 | |
| 13363–14109 | 747 | ||
| 14110–14786 | 677 | ||
| Erne | 14787–15343 | 557 | |
| Elbe | 15344–15958 | 615 | |
| Rhone Rhone (ship) The Rhone, formerly known as Gilroy, was a 1,768 ton, iron sailing ship with a length of 259.2 feet, breadth of 39.9 feet and depth of 23.2 feet.- History :... |
15959–16611 | 653 | |
| Clyde | 16612–17281 | 670 | |
| Moy | 17282–17849 | 568 | |
| Avon | 17850–18316 | 467 | |
| Ganges | 18317–18780 | 464 | |
| Ganges | 18781–19334 | 554 | |
| Elbe | 19335–19938 | 604 | |
| Arno | 19939–20565 | 627 | |
| Rhine | 20566–21056 | 491 | |
| 21057–21860 | 804 | ||
| 21861–22669 | 809 | ||
| 22670–23445 | 776 | ||
| 23446–24163 | 718 | ||
| 24164–25003 | 840 | ||
| Mersey Mersey (ship) Mersey may refer to:* Mersey , a ship wrecked off Torres Strait, Australia in 1805* Mersey , a former Nourse Line and White Star Line vessel; scrapped in 1923... |
25004–25588 | 585 | |
| Elbe | 25589–26178 | 590 | |
| Arno | 26179–26812 | 634 | |
| Arno | 26813–27443 | 631 | |
| Ems Ems (ship) The Ems was a 1,829 ton, iron sailing ship with a length of , breadth of and depth of . She was built by Charles Connell & Company, Glasgow for the Nourse Line, and named after the Ems River in north west Germany, and launched on 6 April 1893. She was primarily used for the transportation of... |
27444–27969 | 526 | |
| 27970–28796 | 827 | ||
| 28797–29411 | 615 | ||
| 29412–30303 | 892 | ||
| 30304–31093 | 790 | ||
| 31094–31974 | 881 | ||
| 31975–32775 | 801 | ||
| 32776–33609 | 834 | ||
| 33610–34484 | 875 | ||
| 34485–35243 | 759 | ||
| 35244–36039 | 796 | ||
| 36040–37171 | 1132 | ||
| 37172–38257 | 1086 | ||
| 38258–39409 | 1152 | ||
| 39410–40076 | 667 | ||
| 40077–41002 | 926 | ||
| 41003–42023 | 1021 | ||
| 42024–42892 | 869 | ||
| 42893–43922 | 1030 | ||
| 43923–44756 | 834 | ||
| 44757–45606 | 850 | ||
| 45607–46466 | 860 | ||
| 46467–47329 | 863 | ||
| 47330–48140 | 811 | ||
| 48141–48997 | 857 | ||
| 48998–49801 | 804 | ||
| 49802–50644 | 843 | ||
| 50645–51490 | 846 | ||
| 51491–52261 | 771 | ||
| 52262–53069 | 808 | ||
| 53070–53917 | 848 | ||
| 53918–54701 | 784 | ||
| 54702–55556 | 855 | ||
| 55557–56273 | 717 | ||
| 56274–57125 | 852 | ||
| 57126–57971 | 846 | ||
| 57972–58783 | 812 | ||
| 58784–59665 | 882 | ||
| 59666–60553 | 888 |
See also
Indian indenture systemIndian indenture system
The Indian indenture system was an ongoing system of indenture by which thousands of Indians were transported to various colonies of European powers to provide labour for the plantations...
Repatriation of indentured Indians from Fiji
Repatriation of indentured Indians from Fiji
Commencing 3 May 1892, ships sailed with some regularity carrying repatriated indentured Indians returning to Calcutta and Madras, India from Fiji.- Conditions of return :According to Clause 10 of each labourer's indenture agreement:10...